DeSantis snubs big sugar; his party, not so much

TALLAHASSEE, Fla — On the campaign trail candidate Ron DeSantis made a point of rejecting money from the sugar industry.  He kept that promise.

But, as is often the case in Florida, sugar found a way in.

State records show US Sugar gave $800,000 to the Republican Party of Florida in 2018, giving $350,000 after DeSantis was elected.  The Florida GOP not only helped the DeSantis campaign during the election, but also helped pay for the inauguration.

Scandalous?  Hardly, says UCF political science professor Dr. Aubrey Jewett.

“There is a difference between the candidate directly soliciting money from a  company or an industry for his campaign and the party, and technically we don’t know that sugar money went to the campaign or inauguration, the party does not divide up funds and send certain money to certain things,” says Jewett.

Sugar, like most industries in Florida, is not exclusive.  State records also show sugar has given $118,000 to the Florida Democratic Party since 2017.

“Interest groups can spend money and the courts have decided that money is equivalent to speech, and you can donate money to the candidate or party of your choice,” says Jewett.

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